Failure measure outputting method, output system, and output device

ABSTRACT

A method for outputting failure handling method includes: detecting conditions of each part of a working machine; transmitting condition signals representing the detected conditions; receiving the condition signals; calculating a handling method for a failure showed by the received condition signals; and transmitting a handling signal representing the calculated handling method.

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No.2000-99139 (application date Mar. 31, 2000) and the contents of thatapplication are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present invention relates to a method, an output system andan output device for monitoring failures in moving mechanisms andcomponents such as an engine, hydraulic pump, hydraulic motor and thelike of a working machine such as a construction machine, at a remotelocation, and outputting a method for handling these failures to theworking machine or the like.

BACKGROUND ART

[0003] For example, a hydraulic excavator or crane (hereafter referredto as a construction machine) is made up of a number of components, andeach component is susceptible to failures or faults. There are variousfailure conditions, and if there is a simple failure the operator canrepair the construction machine, but depending on the nature of thefailure the operator may not always be able to deal with it and it isnecessary to contact the manufacturer's service center.

[0004] However, it is sometimes difficult to reliably communicate thenature of the failure. There are also occasions where the nature of thefailure can not be understood. In such instances, a service manreceiving notification of a failure will have to go to the actual siteto investigate the failure. A serviceman may not be carrying all of theparts necessary for repair, and so depending on the nature of thefailure it may be necessary to return to the service center and collectsome parts.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a method foroutputting failure handling method, a failure handling method outputsystem and a failure handling method output device in which the natureof a failure in a working machine such as a construction machine can bereliably determined.

[0006] In order to attain the above object, a method for outputtingfailure handling method according to the present invention, comprises:detecting conditions of each part of a working machine; transmittingcondition signals representing the detected conditions; receiving thecondition signals; calculating a handling method for a failure showed bythe received condition signals; and transmitting a handling signalrepresenting the calculated handling method.

[0007] In this method for outputting failure handling method, it ispreferred that the handling signal is transmitted to any of the workingmachine, a service man and a manager of the working machine. In thiscase, it is preferred that the handling signal is transmitted togetherwith information identifying the working machine and informationindicating a nature of the failure. Or, it is preferred that when thehandling signal is transmitted to the service man, a current location ofthe working machine is transmitted together.

[0008] A failure handling method output system according to the presentinvention comprises: a condition detector that is provided in a workingmachine and detects conditions of each part of the working machine; aworking machine side transmitter that is provided in the working machineand transmits condition signals representing the conditions detected bythe condition detector; a working machine monitoring side receiver thatis provided in a working machine monitoring facility and receives thecondition signals transmitted from the working machine side transmitter;a handling method calculating device that is provided in the workingmachine monitoring facility and calculates a handling method for afailure shown by the condition signals received by the working machinemonitoring side receiver; a working machine monitoring side transmitterthat is provided in the working machine monitoring facility andtransmits a handling signal representing the calculated handling method;and a working machine side receiver that is provided in the workingmachine and receives the transmitted handling signal.

[0009] In this failure handling method output system, it is preferredthat a monitor that displays the handling method based on the handlingsignal received by the working machine side receiver, is furtherprovided.

[0010] Also, it is preferred that the handling method calculating devicecalculates the handling method by searching a database using thecondition signals received by the working machine monitoring sidereceiver.

[0011] A failure handling method output device according to the presentinvention comprises: a receiver that receives condition signalsrepresenting conditions of each part of a working machine transmittedfrom the working machine; a handling method calculating device thatcalculates a handling method for a failure shown by the receivedcondition signals; and a transmitter that transmits a handling signalrepresenting the calculated handling method.

[0012] A method for outputting failure handling method according to thepresent invention comprises: receiving condition signals representingconditions of each part of a working machine transmitted from theworking machine; calculating a handling method for a failure shown bythe received condition signals; and transmitting a handling signalrepresenting the calculated handling method.

[0013] Another failure handling method output device according to thepresent invention receives condition signals representing conditions ofeach part of a working machine transmitted from the working machine,calculates a handling method for a failure shown by the receivedcondition signals, and transmits a handling signal representing thecalculated handling method.

[0014] In the above methods for outputting failure handling method, itis preferred that transmission and reception of the condition signals,and transmission of the handling signal, are carried out via acommunications satellite.

[0015] In the above methods for outputting failure handling method, itis preferred that transmission and reception of the condition signals,and transmission of the handling signal, are carried out via a mobilecommunications system.

[0016] A failure information acquisition method according to the presentinvention comprises: outputting information, relating to items to bechecked when a failure occurs in a working machine, to a mobilecommunications terminal via a mobile communications system; receivinginformation, which has been input at the mobile communications terminalregarding the items to be checked, via the mobile communications system;and storing the received information in a storage device as failureinformation

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017]FIG. 1 is a figure showing an operating state of a hydraulicexcavator to which a field service schedule creation method according tothe present invention is applied.

[0018]FIG. 2 is a figure showing one example of a hydraulic excavator.

[0019]FIG. 3 is a figure showing an example of the hydraulic circuits ofa hydraulic excavator.

[0020]FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the structure of a controllerfor a hydraulic excavator.

[0021]FIG. 5 is a figure for describing a group of a hydraulic excavatorsensors in detail.

[0022]FIG. 6 is a figure for describing a storage device of a hydraulicexcavator.

[0023]FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure forcalculating traveling operation time etc.

[0024]FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing fixed time transmission processingflow for a hydraulic excavator.

[0025]FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of processing flow for ahydraulic excavator for detecting alarms or failures.

[0026]FIG. 10 is a figure showing one example of data transmitted from ahydraulic excavator.

[0027]FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the structure of a basestation.

[0028]FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing processing flow in a base station.

[0029]FIG. 13 is a figure for describing data arranged by hydraulicexcavator number.

[0030]FIG. 14 is a figure for describing data organized by servicecenter.

[0031]FIG. 15 is a block diagram of information management for a servicecenter.

[0032]FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of processing flow atthe service center.

[0033]FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of processing flow atthe service center.

[0034]FIG. 18 is a figure showing an example of a daily report output atthe service center

[0035]FIG. 19A-FIG. 19C are figures showing one example of a maintenanceschedule output at the service center.

[0036]FIG. 20A and FIG. 10B are figures showing traveling load frequencydistribution and digging load frequency distribution.

[0037]FIG. 21 is a figure for describing a schedule for carrying outefficient field service.

[0038]FIG. 22 is a figure showing a serviceman schedule table.

[0039]FIGS. 23A and 23B are figures showing engine operating timedistribution.

[0040]FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing processing flow for calculatingtravel operation time and fuel consumption when in operation.

[0041]FIG. 25 is a figure showing another example of connecting a radiobase station, a hydraulic excavator factory and a service center with acommunications line.

[0042]FIG. 26 is a figure showing the system structure inside ahydraulic excavator factory.

[0043]FIG. 27 is a figure showing an example of communication withhydraulic excavators using cellular phones.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0044] Using FIG. 1-FIG. 24, the case of applying the present inventionto a method of outputting a failure handling method (measures forfailure) for a hydraulic excavator will now be described. FIG. 1 is afigure showing an operating state of a hydraulic excavator to which amethod for outputting failure handling method according to the presentinvention is applied.

[0045] Specifically, a plurality of hydraulic excavators arerespectively operating in a plurality of work sites (work areas) A, Band C. Hydraulic excavators a1-an are operating at site A, hydraulicexcavators b1-bn are operating at site B, and hydraulic excavators c1-cnare operating at site C. The sites A, B and C are not the same work siteand are separated geographically. With this embodiment, the state ofeach part of each hydraulic excavator is detected, and a detected signalis transmitted to the base station BC through a communications satelliteCS. The base station BC transmits a received signal to suitable servicecenters SF1-SFn using a general public telephone network PC. At theservice centers SF1-SFn, a daily report which will be described later iscreated, failures are diagnosed, and field service schedules arecreated, based on received signals. Each hydraulic excavator is fittedwith a GPS receiver, and can calculate its current position by receivinga signal from a GPS satellite GS. The current position information istransmitted, together with a signal for each part of the hydraulicexcavator, through the base station BC to the service center SF, and theservice center SF can confirm the operating location of each of thehydraulic excavators.

[0046] A hydraulic excavator is constructed as shown in FIG. 2. Thehydraulic excavator has an travelling body 81, and a swiveling body 82connected to an upper part of the travelling body 81 so as to be capableof swiveling or swiveling. An operators cabin 83, an operation section84, an engine 85 and a swivel motor 86 are provided in the swivelingbody 82. The operation section 84 comprises a boom BM attached to themain body of the swiveling body 82 so as to be capable of rotation, anarm AM rotatably linked to the boom BM, an attachment, which is a bucketBK for example, rotatably linked to the arm AM. The boom BM is raisedand lowered by a boom cylinder C1, the arm AM is made to perform crowdand dump operations using an arm cylinder C2, and the bucket Bk is madeto perform crowd and dump operations using the bucket cylinder C3. Leftand right hydraulic travel motors 87 and 88 are provided in thetravelling body 81.

[0047]FIG. 3 schematically shows the hydraulic circuits of the hydraulicexcavator. The engine 85 drives the hydraulic pump 2. Hydraulic fluiddischarged from this hydraulic pump 2 is controlled as to its directionand amount by a plurality of control valves 3 s, 3 tr, 3 tl, 3 b, 3 aand 3 bk, and drives the above described swivel hydraulic motor 86, leftand right travel hydraulic motors 87 and 88, and the hydraulic cylindersC1, C2 and C3. The plurality of control valves 3 s, 3 tr, 3 tl, 3 b, 3 aand 3 bk are switched respectively by pilot pressure provided from pilotvalves 4 s, 4 tr, 4 tl, 4 b, 4 a and 4 bk. The pilot valves 4 s, 4 tr, 4tl, 4 b, 4 a and 4 bk have pilot hydraulic fluid at a specified pressuresupplied from a pilot valve hydraulic pump 5, and output pilot pressureaccording to an amount of actuation of actuation levers 4 Ls, 4 Ltr, 4Ltl, 4 Lb, 4 La and 4 Lbl. The plurality of control valves 3 s, 3 tr, 3tl, 3 b, 3 a and 3 bk are collected together in a single valve block.The plurality of control valves 3 s, 3 tr, 3 tl, 3 b, 3 a and 3 bk arealso collected together in a single block

[0048]FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a controller for detecting andtransmitting states of each of the parts of the hydraulic excavator. Asensor group 10 having a plurality of sensors for detecting the state ofeach of the parts, as described above, is mounted in the hydraulicexcavator, and state detection signals output from the sensor group 10are read into a controller 20 at a specified timing. The controller 20has a timer function 20 a for calculating travel operation time,swiveling operation time and front (excavation) operation time. Thecontroller 20 calculates travel operation time, swiveling operation timeand front (excavation) operation time based on read out state detectionsignals. These calculated operation times are stored in a storage device21. The hydraulic excavator also comprises a key switch 22 foractivating the engine 85, and an hour meter 23 for measuring actualoperational time of the engine 85.

[0049] A GPS receiver 24 is mounted in the hydraulic excavator. The GPSreceiver 24 receives GPS signals from a GPS satellite GS, and calculatesand outputs positional information to the controller 20 based on the GPSsignals. A monitor 25 for displaying various information is provided inthe drivers seat of the hydraulic excavator.

[0050] The controller 20 has the timer function 20 b, and is capable ofrecognizing the times at which the key switch 22 is turned on and off,and the times at which the engine is started and stopped. These timesare also stored in the storage device 21. Measurement values of the hourmeter 23 are also read into the controller 20 at a specified timing, andstored in the storage device 21. The traveling, swiveling and frontoperation times, and a time when the key switch is turned on, etc.stored in the storage device 21 are transmitted at a specified timingthrough a transmitter 30. Radio waves from the transmitter 30 arereceived by the base station BC through the satellite CS. A receiver 35is also connected to the controller 20. The receiver 35 receives signalsof a handling method at the time of a failure transmitted from theservice center SF through the communications satellite CS and the basestation BC, and transmits these signals to the controller 20. Thecontroller 20, transmitter 30 and receiver 35 are in an operable stateeven if the main switch of the hydraulic excavator is turned off, beingpowered from a vehicle mounted battery.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 5, the sensor group 10 is provided with pressuresensors 11 for detecting pressurized states of the main hydrauliccircuits system. Specifically, there are provided a pressure sensor lipfor measuring discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump 2, pressuresensors 11 tr and 11 tl for measuring drive pressure of the travelhydraulic motors 87 and 88, a pressure sensor 11 s for measuring drivepressure of the swiveling hydraulic motor 86, a pressure sensor 11 b formeasuring drive pressure of the boom hydraulic cylinder C1, a pressuresensor 11 a for measuring drive pressure of the arm hydraulic cylinderC1, and a pressure sensor 11 bk for measuring drive pressure of thebucket hydraulic cylinder C3.

[0052] The sensor group 10 is also provided with pressure sensors 13 fordetecting pressure states of the pilot hydraulic circuit system.Specifically, there are pressure sensors 13 tr and 13 tl for measuringpilot pressure Ptr and Ptl output from the traveling hydraulic pilotvalves 4 tr and 4 tl, a pressure sensor 13 s for measuring pilotpressure Ps output from the swiveling hydraulic pilot valve 4 s, apressure sensor 13 b for measuring pilot pressure Pb output from theboom hydraulic pilot valve 4 b, a pressure sensor 13 a for measuringpilot pressure Pa output from the arm hydraulic pilot valve 4 b, and apressure sensor 13 bk for measuring pilot pressure Pbk output from thebucket hydraulic pilot valve 4 bk.

[0053] The travel operating time is a time accumulated when pressuresPtr or Ptl detected by the travel pilot pressure sensors 13 tr and 13 tlare above a specified value. The swiveling operating time is a timeaccumulated when pressure Ps detected by the swiveling pilot pressuresensor 13 s is above a specified value. The front operating time is atime accumulated when pressure Ps, Pa or Pbk detected by the pressuresensors 13 b, 13 a and 13 bk for the boom, arm or bucket are above aspecified value.

[0054] The sensor group 10 is also provided with a pressure sensor 14 ffor detecting clogging of a filter provided in the main hydraulic line,and a temperature sensor 14 t for detecting the temperature of hydraulicoil for driving the hydraulic motors and the hydraulic cylinders. Thesensor group 10 also has various sensors 15 for detecting conditionswithin the engine system. Specifically, there are a cooling watertemperature sensor 15 w for detecting the temperature of cooling waterin the engine 85, an engine oil pressure sensor 15 op for detecting thepressure of the engine oil, an engine oil temperature sensor 15 ot fordetecting the temperature of the engine oil, an engine oil level sensor15 ol for detecting the level of the engine oil, a clogging sensor 15 affor detecting clogging of an air filter, a residual fuel amount sensor15 f for measuring a residual fuel amount, a battery voltage sensor 15 vfor detecting the charge voltage of a battery, and a rotational speedsensor 15 r for detecting the rotational speed of the engine. Asdescribed above, signals representing the condition of each part of thehydraulic excavator are transmitted through the communications satelliteCS and the base station to the service center SF, but signalsrepresenting a normal condition of each part are collected together forone day and transmitted as daily report data in a time period late atnight when the communication charge is cheap. Signals representingalarms and failures etc. are transmitted each time when they aregenerated When the residual fuel amount becomes less than a specifiedvalue, information representing this is transmitted immediately with norestriction on the time period.

[0055] The above described daily report data is made up of the followinginformation, and stored in the storage device 21 in a specified format.

[0056] {circumflex over (1)} Time when the key switch 22 is turned on.

[0057] {circumflex over (2)} Time when the key switch 22 is turned off.

[0058] {circumflex over (3)} Time when the engine is started.

[0059] {circumflex over (4)} Time when the engine is stopped.

[0060] {circumflex over (5)} Measured value of hour meter 23.

[0061] {circumflex over (6)} Traveling operation time (refer to FIG.18).

[0062] {circumflex over (7)} Swiveling operation time (refer to FIG.18).

[0063] {circumflex over (8)} Front operation time (refer to FIG. 18).

[0064] {circumflex over (9)} Engine operation time (refer to FIG. 18).

[0065] Load frequency distribution (refer to FIG. 20A), excavation loadfrequency distribution (refer to FIG. 20B), or amount of fuelconsumption (per unit time, during actual work, under no load, etc.) arealso included as daily report data.

[0066] The following are examples of alarm data.

[0067] {circumflex over (1)} Engine oil level.

[0068] {circumflex over (2)} Engine cooling water temperature.

[0069] {circumflex over (3)} Engine oil temperature.

[0070] {circumflex over (4)} Air filter clogged.

[0071] {circumflex over (5)} Hydraulic oil filter.

[0072] {circumflex over (6)} Battery voltage.

[0073] {circumflex over (7)} Engine oil pressure.

[0074] {circumflex over (8)} Residual Fuel amount.

[0075] {circumflex over (9)} Hydraulic oil temperature.

[0076] The following are failure data.

[0077] {circumflex over (1)} Engine speed abnormal.

[0078] {circumflex over (2)} Hydraulic pump discharge pressure abnormal.

[0079]FIG. 6 is a figure showing one example of a storage device 21. Thestorage device 21 contains a first region R1 for storing measurementvalues of the hour meter 23 of the engine 85, a second region R2 forstoring traveling operation time (time actually spent traveling), athird region R3 for storing swiveling operation time (time actuallyspent swiveling), a fourth region R4 for storing front operation time(actual time spent front operation), and a plurality of regions R5 to Rnfor storing other condition signals, alarm signals or failure signals.

[0080]FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a processing sequence forcalculating the traveling, swiveling and front operation times executedby the controller 20 of the hydraulic excavator. For example, if eitherof traveling pilot pressure Ptr and Ptl, swiveling pilot pressure Ps,boom pilot pressure Pb, arm pilot pressure Pa or bucket pilot pressurePbk become higher than a specified value, the controller 20 starts theprogram shown in FIG. 7. Then, in step S1, a corresponding timer formeasuring the operation time is started, from among timer functions 20 afor traveling, swiveling and fronting. A timer for measuring loadfrequency distribution is also started. Specifically, if the travelingpilot pressure Ptr or Ptl are greater than a specified value, a timerfor traveling operation time is started. If the swiveling pilot pressurePs is greater than a specified value, a timer for swiveling operationtime is started, and either of the boom pilot pressure Pb, arm pilotpressure Pa or bucket pilot pressure Pbk is greater than a specifiedvalue, a timer for front operation time is started. In step S2, if it isdetermined that pilot pressure has become less than the specified value,processing advances to step S3, and the corresponding timer is stopped.

[0081] If the traveling operation time is taken to be Tt, the swivelingoperation time is taken to be Ts, the front operation time is taken tobe Tf, the time measured by the traveling timer is taken to be TMt, thetime measured by the swiveling timer is taken to be TMs, and the timemeasured by the front timer to be TMf, the following equations arecomputed in step S4.

Tt=Tt+TMt

Ts=Ts+TMs

Tf=Tf+TMf

[0082] Specifically, the times measured by the timers are added tocurrent values in respective operation time storage regions, and theoperation time regions are updated with the results of addition.

[0083] Here, operating times have been measured for traveling, swivelingand front operation, but in the case where the hydraulic excavator isprovided with another attachment such as a breaker, it is possible todetect the operating time for that attachment and similarly measure theattachment operating time.

[0084] In the event that pilot pressure is greater than a specifiedvalue, the result is negative in step S2 and processing proceeds to stepS2A. Then, in step S2A, if a timer for measuring load frequencydistribution measures Δtf, processing advances to step S2B. In step S2B,the traveling pressure, swiveling pressure and pump pressure at thattime are read out, and in step S2C, 1 is added to the histogram of theappropriate pressure value. For example, if traveling pressure is 10Mpa, 1 is added to the frequency for 10 Mpa. In step S2D a loadfrequency distribution timer is reset and restarted, and processingreturns to step S2.The traveling load frequency distribution is shown inFIG. 20A, and the digging load frequency distribution is shown in FIG.20B.

[0085]FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing flow for transmittingdaily report data at a fixed and regular timing. Once a predeterminedtransmission time is reached, the controller 20 starts the program shownin FIG. 8. In step 11, daily report data to be transmitted is read outfrom the storage device 21. The read out daily report data is processedinto specified transmission data in step S12, and sent to thetransmitter 30 in step S13. In this way, the transmitter 30 transmitsdaily report data representing actual operating conditions of thehydraulic excavator for one day to the service center SF via thecommunications satellite CS and the base station BC (step S14).

[0086]FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing flow for transmittingalarm signals and failure signals. If the controller 20 judges output ofthe above described alarm signals or failure signals, the program shownin FIG. 9 is started. In step S21, detected alarm signals and failuresignals are stored in the storage device 21. If it is judged in step S22that it is necessary to transmit these alarm signals and failure signalsto the service center, processing advances to step S23. In step S23, thenature of a failure is displayed on a monitor in the drivers seat, and afact that it is transmitted to the service center is also displayed. Instep S24, alarm signals or failure signals are read out from the storagedevice 21, and processed into transmission data in step S25. Theprocessed transmission data is output to the transmitter 30 in step S26,and in step S30 alarm signals or failure signals are transmitted fromthe transmitter 30.

[0087] If the controller 20 judges that a signal indicating a handlingmethod for the failure has been received from the service center in stepS28, the method of handling the failure is displayed in the driver'sseat monitor in step S29. In the event that no indication is receivedfrom the service center, in step S30 it is judged, after transmission ofalarm signals and failure signals, if a specified time has elapsed. Ifthe specified time has elapsed, then in step S31 a message “Pleasecontact the service center.” is displayed. If the result at step S30 isnegative, processing for step S28 is repeated. Specifically, in theevent that there is no transmission of indication of a handling methodfrom the service center, even when the specified time has elapsed, thereis a high possibility that communication has failed for some reason, andso the operator is informed to contact the service center by telephone.

[0088] If it is judged in step S22 that it is not necessary to transmitdetected alarm signals to the service center, alarm contentcorresponding to the alarm signals is displayed in the driver's seatmonitor 25 in step S32, and in step S33 a method of handling thatfailure is calculated. For example, if handling methods for alarmsignals are previously made into a database in the storage device 21, ahandling method is calculated by accessing the database using the alarmsignals. Then in step S34, the handling method is displayed on thedriver's seat monitor 25.

[0089]FIG. 10 shows one example of a data string created fortransmission of daily report data, alarm signal data or failure signaldata. An identifier HD for identifying a hydraulic excavator is providedin a header of the data string. A data portion follows on from theheader, in which current location information D1, hour meter measurementtime information D2, actual travel operation time D3, actual swivelingoperation time D4, and actual front operation time D5 . . . aresequentially combined.

[0090]FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the structure of a base stationBC. The base station BC receives various types of signals and transmitsthem to service centers at various places. The base station BC iscomprised of a receiver 31 for receiving signals transmitted from acommunications satellite CS, a storage device 32 for storing signalsreceived by the receiver 31, a modem 33 for transmission of data to betransmitted to the service station through a general public telephonenetwork PC, and a controller 34 for controlling these various devices.

[0091]FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing processing flow for receipt ofcondition signal etc. by a base station BC and transmission to a servicecenter. If signals are received from the communications satellite CS,the controller 34 of the base station BC starts the program shown inFIG. 12. In step S301, received signals are temporarily stored in thestorage device 32. In step S302, a hydraulic excavator is identifiedfrom the identifier HD stored in the header of the received conditionsignal, and received signals are sorted for each hydraulic excavator, asshown in FIG. 13. In step S303, a service center in charge is identifiedbased on the identified hydraulic excavator (based on the identifier),and received signals for hydraulic excavators are collected together foreach service center, as shown in FIG. 14. In step S304, telephonenumbers of identified service centers are read out from a databasecreated in advance in the storage device 32, and in step S305 signalsgrouped together in step S303 are transmitted to each service centerthrough the modem 33.

[0092] Received signals may be transmitted to the service center that isclosest to the current location of the hydraulic excavator. Also,transmission of various information from the base station BC to eachservice center SF may be performed over a dedicated line or a LANconnection. For example, if the base station BC and the service centerSF are facilities of the manufacturer of the hydraulic excavator, thevarious information can be sent using a so-called in-house LAN(intranet).

[0093]FIG. 15 is a block diagram of information management in a servicecenter SF. The service center SF comprises a modem 41 for receiving datasent from the base station BC through a general public telephone networkPC, a storage device 42 for storing signals received by the modem 41, aprocessor 43 for executing various computations, a display 44 and aprinter 45 connected to the processor 43, and a keyboard 46. Theprocessor 43 creates a daily report based on condition or state signals(daily report data) stored in the storage device 42, executescomputation for graphical display of load frequency distributioncalculated by the controller 20 of the hydraulic excavator, calculates amaintenance time for each hydraulic excavator, determines whether thereare failures or abnormalities, and creates a field service schedule.

[0094] A database 47 is also connected to the processor 43. Amaintenance history of the hydraulic excavator, a history of previousfailures and abnormalities, and a service history, etc. are stored inthis database 47. Data built up in the database 47 includes dataacquired from the storage device 21 of the hydraulic excavator by aservice man, who was in a field for the field service, using a portableinformation terminal 51.

[0095] The portable information terminal 51 is also preferably providedwith a communication function. In that case, a service man inputsvarious information using keys of the portable information terminal 51,and the various data can be input to the database 47 usingcommunication.

[0096]FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a procedure for various processesexecuted by the processor 43, based on condition signals, alarm signalsand failure signals received by the service center. If conditionsignals, alarm signals and failure signals are received, the processor43 of the service center starts the program shown in FIG. 16. In stepS41, received condition signals, alarm signals and failure signals arestored in the storage device 42. In step S42, a hydraulic excavator isidentified from an identifier HD of the received signal. If receivedsignals are for a plurality of hydraulic excavators, respectivehydraulic excavators are identified and received signals are arranged ina suitable order.

[0097] In step S43, it is judged for a first hydraulic excavator whetherthe received signal is daily report data, alarm signal data or a failuresignal. If it is daily report data, then in step S44 the database 47 isaccessed using an identifier for the identified hydraulic excavator, andprevious history is read out for the relevant hydraulic excavator. Instep S45, daily report data is read out from the storage device 42, anda daily report such as is shown in FIG. 18 is created in step S46. Adaily report will be described in more detail later. In step S47, thenext maintenance period is calculated based on the daily report data andprevious maintenance history read out from the database 47. After that,if it is judged in step S48 that processing has not been completed forall received signals for the hydraulic excavator, processing returns tostep S43 and the same processing is carried out for receive signals forthe next hydraulic excavator. If it is judged in step S48 thatprocessing for all received signals has been completed, processingadvances to step S49, and a field service schedule is created. A methodof creating this schedule will be described later.

[0098] If it is judged in step S43 that received signals are alarmsignals or failure signals, processing advances to step S50, and alarmsignals or failure signals are read out from the storage device S42. Instep S51, a handling method for the read out alarm signals or failuresignals is read out from the database 47. In step S52, the read outhandling method is transmitted to the relevant hydraulic excavatorthrough the base station BC or through a mobile communication system. Atelephone number of the hydraulic excavator is stored in advance in thestorage device 42 of the service center. An identifier for identifying ahydraulic excavator is provided in a header of data transmitted to thehydraulic excavator, and data for displaying a handling method isprovided following this identifier. After data transmission, processingfor dispatching a service man to a work site is executed in step S53. Ifit is then judged in step S54 that processing of received signals forall hydraulic excavators has not been completed, processing returns tostep S43, and the same processing is repeated. If it is judged thatprocessing of received signals for all hydraulic excavators has beencompleted, this process terminates.

[0099]FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing processing flow for dispatching aservice man executed in step S53 in FIG. 16. For example, all servicemen are made to carry a GPS receiver, and a current position signaltransmitted to the service center at specified time intervals is storedin the storage device 42 of the service center. In step S61 of FIG. 17,current positions for all service men are read out from the storagedevice 42, and in step S62 the service man who is closest to the worksite of the relevant hydraulic excavator is searched for. Processingthen advances to step S63, and the relevant hydraulic excavator, worksite, content of alarm or failure, failure handling method, andcomponents to be taken are transmitted to the portable informationterminal 51 for that service man via the base station BC, or via amobile communication system. It is possible to make a service man'soperation schedule into a database (refer to FIG. 22) and to search fora service man who has free time. At this time, it is also possible toautomatically contact a parts control department to order parts.

[0100]FIG. 18 shows one example of daily report data created based oncondition signals (daily report data) received by the service center. Adaily report is created daily for each hydraulic excavator, and FIG. 18is a daily report for, for example, Mar. 16, 2000 for machine No. 253owned by Company A. The first page shows accumulated time for actualengine operation time, travel operation time, swiveling operation time,and front operation time, and times relating to work carried out onMarch 16. Page 2 shows maintenance information, for example, parts to bemaintained and times for each part, such as 100 hours until engine oilfilter replacement, and 60 hours until engine oil replacement.

[0101] This daily report is distributed to each service man by printingout at the service center. The daily report can also be distributed toservice men by electronic mail. The daily report shown in FIG. 18 can betransmitted to hydraulic excavator No. 253 for display on the driver'sseat monitor 25, or transmitted to the management section of company A,being a user.

[0102] A description will now be given of creating the field serviceschedule in step S49 shown in FIG. 16. FIG. 19A-FIG. 19C are figuresshowing one example of a maintenance schedule table. FIG. 19A shows amaintenance schedule for a traveling roller, FIG. 19B shows amaintenance schedule for a bush, and FIG. 19C shows a maintenanceschedule for a pin. Accumulated time for actual engine operating time,travel operation time, swiveling operation time and front operation timefor each hydraulic excavator is transmitted to the service center ascondition signals (daily report data), and so a decision as to whether areplacement period for each component has been reached is made based onthe actual engine operating time and each of the operation times.

[0103] For example, if the recommended replacement time for the travelroller is 2000 hours, then if the operation time for the travel rollerof the hydraulic excavator al up to now reaches 1850 hours, there isthen less than 150 hours until replacement, and it is judged that it istime for maintenance, and field service for the hydraulic excavator alis scheduled for within 150 hours. In FIG. 19A the hydraulic excavatoral is displayed in the maintenance schedule for this month. Other numbermachines are handled in the same way.

[0104] If the recommended replacement time for a bush provided in therotating axis of the boom is 3000 hours, then if the actual frontoperation time for the hydraulic excavator a2 at the same site up to nowreaches 2950 hours, there is then less than 50 hours until replacement,it is judged that it is time for maintenance, and field service for thehydraulic excavator a2 is scheduled for within 50 hours. In FIG. 19B thehydraulic excavator a2 is displayed in the maintenance schedule for thismonth. Other number machines are handled in the same way.

[0105] Further, if the recommended replacement time for a pin providedin the rotating axis of the bucket is 4000 hours, then if the actualfront operation time for the hydraulic excavator a6 at the same site upto now reaches 3920 hours, there is then less than 80 hours untilreplacement, it is judged that it is time for maintenance, and fieldservice for the hydraulic excavator a3 is scheduled for within 80 hours.In FIG. 19C the hydraulic excavator a6 is displayed in the maintenanceschedule for this month. Other number machines are handled in the sameway.

[0106] A maintenance schedule chart as shown in FIG. 19 is created bycalculating maintenance periods for hydraulic excavators a1-an operatingat site A, hydraulic excavators b1-bn operating at site B, and hydraulicexcavators c1-cn operating at site C. The sites A-C are under the sameservice center administration.

[0107] Components that require maintenance can be found using themaintenance schedule chart shown in FIG. 19. It is therefore possible toarrange to have parts in stock based on this schedule chart. In thisparticular case, the acquisition of parts is completed by automaticallysending parts orders to a parts center affiliated with the servicecenter, via an in-house intranet. It is also possible to calculate themaintenance cost using the schedule chart and the parts acquisition, andnotify the user of the cost.

[0108] When creating the maintenance schedule shown in FIG. 19, amaintenance period is calculated by comparing usage time of thecomponent in question up to the present with a standard usage time thatis set in advance. However, for a hydraulic excavator the usage loadconditions vary significantly depending on the work site and the natureof the job. For this reason it is preferable to vary the maintenanceperiod according to load conditions.

[0109] In order to calculate the load conditions, traveling loadfrequency distribution and front (excavation) load frequencydistribution are displayed as bar graphs based on daily report datatransmitted every day from the hydraulic excavator, as shown in FIG. 20Aand FIG. 20B. A reference traveling load frequency distribution anddigging load frequency distribution are also set in advance. Thecalculated load frequency distribution is then compared to the referenceload frequency distribution to determine whether the machine is beingoperated under a light load or a heavy load, and the maintenance periodis calculated according to the following equations depending on theresult of determination.

Maintenance period under heavy load=standard maintenance period×α.

Maintenance period under light load=standard maintenance period×β.

[0110] It is noted that a is a value less than 1,β is a value greaterthan 1, and they are determined in advance by experimentation or thelike.

[0111] In calculation of the maintenance period described above, if thecomponent in question is a travel roller, for example, the maintenanceperiod is calculated by considering whether the travel load frequencydistribution is a heavy load or a light load. And, if the component inquestion is a bush, the maintenance period is calculated by consideringwhether the excavation load frequency distribution is a heavy load or alight load. Specifically, the maintenance period is varied taking intoconsideration the load frequency distribution related to the componentin question.

[0112] Instead of calculating the maintenance period according to theload using the method described above, it is also possible to provideheavy load maintenance periods, standard load maintenance periods andlight load maintenance periods in advance as tables, and to select atable to be used depending on the load.

[0113] It is also possible to read out a previous maintenance conditionhistory from the database 47 of the service center SF and to vary themaintenance period according to that history. Specifically, if theprevious maintenance period is shorter or longer than the standardmaintenance period, the previous maintenance period is changed by thecurrent maintenance period and the maintenance period is calculated.

[0114] A description will now be given of a method for allowing a singleservice man to more efficiently visit a number of work sites. FIG. 21shows a maintenance schedule chart for hydraulic excavators a1-a5actually operating at a work site A. This maintenance schedule chart iscalculated by the processor 43 at the service center. The hydraulicexcavator al has maintenance scheduled for the period March 6 to March17, the hydraulic excavator a2 has maintenance scheduled for the periodMarch 9 to March 17, the hydraulic excavator a3 has maintenancescheduled for the period March 16 to March 24, the hydraulic excavatora4 has maintenance scheduled for the period March 15 to March 23, andthe hydraulic excavator a5 has maintenance scheduled for the periodMarch 17 to March 22. Setting of the maintenance schedules is done by,for example, estimating a replacement time from the time remaining untilmaintenance and the average daily operating time for the hydraulicexcavator in question.

[0115] As will be understood from FIG. 21, if work site A is visited onMarch 10, maintenance for the two hydraulic excavators a1 and a2 can becarried out at the same time. If the work site is visited on March 17,maintenance for five hydraulic excavators a1-a5 can be carried out atthe same time. If the work site is visited on March 21, maintenance forthree hydraulic excavators a3-a5 can be carried out at the same time.What this means is that if the site is visited on March 17, maintenanceoperation can be completed more efficiently with fewer visits. Inaddition to the maintenance schedule for each numbered machine in FIG.21, if a final maintenance schedule is created also taking intoconsideration the service man's schedule shown in FIG. 22, it ispossible to create a maintenance schedule that is very precise andreflects whether or not the service man can make a visit.

[0116] In this way, a much more efficient method of carrying out fieldservicing is calculated by the processor 43. In FIG. 21 a descriptionhas been given for hydraulic excavators a1-a5 at work site A. However,it is also easy to calculate a more efficient field service schedule forhydraulic excavators at two or more different work sites. For example,the number of times the same work site is visited should be reduced, anda number of work sites should be visited taking the shortest route.

[0117] In the flowchart of FIG. 16, when signals received at the servicecenter include alarm signals and failure signals, in steps S50-S54 ahandling method is read out from the database 47 and transmitted to thehydraulic excavator. However, depending on the nature of the alarm orthe failure, it may not be necessary to notify the operator. Forexample, if there is an abnormality with the EEPROM or ROM inside thecontroller 20 of the hydraulic excavator, there is no point notifyingthe operator, and in fact it would only cause greater confusion. It istherefore preferable to determine the necessity of transmitting ahandling method to the hydraulic excavator according to the nature ofthe alarm or failure. Contents of the alarm or failure that do not needto be transmitted to the hydraulic excavator should be notified to onlya service man.

[0118] In the flowchart of FIG. 16, when signals received at the servicecenter include alarm signals and failure signals, in steps S50-S54 ahandling method is read out from the database 47 and transmitted to thehydraulic excavator. However, in the event of a failure that requiresimmediate stopping of a machine, it may be preferable to transmit asignal to stop the engine to the hydraulic excavator instead oftransmitting a handling method. In this case, a message such as “Enginewill be automatically stopped. Please do not restart the engine untilthe service man arrives.” is displayed on the driver's seat monitor 25.A signal to display the message is therefore transmitted at the sametime as the engine stop signal. Alternatively, it is also possible totransmit a signal to cause the boom cylinder C1 to be lowered toautomatically drive the machine so that it is put in a safe state.

[0119] In the above description, a handling method is read out from thedatabase 47 of the service center based on alarm signals and failuresignals. However, in the case of transmitting a plurality of types offailure signal at the same time, situations can be expected where itwill not be possible to calculate a handing method using a combinationof failure signals. For that reason, it is possible to connect an AI(artificial intelligence) device to the processor 43 of the servicecenter and to obtain a handling method by reasoning from the content ofthe handling based on alarm signals and failure signals.

[0120] Also, in the above description, condition signals (daily reportdata) are transmitted at a fixed and regular time late at night.However, it is also possible to provide a switch for daily report datatransmission in the driver's seat and to transmit the daily report datawhen this transmission switch is turned on. Alternatively, it is alsopossible to transmit the daily report data when the engine is stopped orstarted.

[0121] In the description above, a daily report shown in FIG. 18 iscreated based on the daily report data. However, as shown in FIGS. 23Aand 23B it is possible to create a daily report containing actual engineoperating time distribution. FIG. 23A is a bar graph respectivelyshowing accumulated times for total operating time, excavation time,swiveling time, traveling time, breaker time, drive times forattachments other than a breaker, and no-load time. These accumulatedtimes are represented by a bar graph created at the service center basedon actual operating times for each day transmitted from the controller20 of the hydraulic excavator. FIG. 23B is a bar graph showing actualengine operating time and idle time for each month. The actual engineoperating time and idle time for each month are also represented by abar graph created at the service center based on actual operating timesfor each day transmitted from the controller 20 of the hydraulicexcavator.

[0122] As described above, a residual fuel amount sensor 15 f is mountedin the hydraulic excavator. Accordingly, it is also possible for thecontroller 20 to calculate fuel consumption and fuel consumption rateper unit time using a signal from the residual fuel amount sensor 15 f.If the fuel consumption amount and fuel consumption rate is transmittedto the hydraulic excavator as daily report data, it is possible to givea visual representation of fuel consumption amount and fuel consumptionrate at the service center For example, it is possible to outputcalculated fuel consumption amount per hour, amount of fuel consumedduring actual operation, amount of fuel consumed while in standby, andtotal amount of fuel consumed over six months and output them in theform of a daily report. The amount of fuel consumed per hour iscalculated by dividing amount of fuel consumed in one day by actualengine operating time for one day. The amount of fuel consumed duringactual operation is the amount of fuel consumed while actuallyperforming operations, and the amount of fuel consumed in standby is theamount of fuel consumed while the engine is being driven under no loadconditions. The total amount of fuel consumed over a six month period isan accumulated value of fuel consumed literally over a six month period.Also, if the amount of fuel consumed in standby is greater than areference value set in advance, a message such as “In order to reducethe amount of fuel consumed in standby mode, please bear in mind energyconservation when driving.” is output.

[0123] In order to calculate the amount of fuel consumed during actualoperation it is necessary to make operating conditions and fuelconsumption correspond to each other. For example, as shown in FIG. 24,amount of fuel consumed is calculated during the processing of FIG. 7for calculating travel operation time, swiveling operation time, andfront operation time. If pilot pressure for traveling, swiveling orexcavating become higher than a specified value, that is, if respectiveoperations start, an amount of fuel consumed during actual operation Flis read out in step S5, and a measurement value from the residual fuelamount sensor 15 f is read out in step S6 and substituted in forvariable FS. If pilot pressure is less than a specified value, that is,if the respective operations described above are completed, processingadvances to step S7 and a measurement value from the residual fuelamount sensor 15 f is read out and substituted in for variable FF. Instep SB, FS−FS+FI is calculated and the fuel amount consumed duringactual operation FI is updated. Besides this, it is also possible toprocess information relating to fuel from various points of view andmake it into a daily report.

[0124] In the above description, signals from the hydraulic excavatorsa1-cn are transmitted to the base station BC via a communicationssatellite CS, and signals are transmitted from the base station BC tothe service center SF via a general public telephone network. However,it is also possible to transmit signals to the hydraulic excavatorsthrough a mobile communication system such as PHS telephone or cellularphone (portable telephone), without using the communications satellite.Also, signals from the hydraulic excavators are processed and output invarious forms at the service center, but it is also possible to transmitthe signals to a facility of the manager of the hydraulic excavator (amanufacturer's service center or a user's management department) wherevarious information processing and output is performed in the samemanner. In this case, if an ID card reader is installed in the hydraulicexcavator, it can also be used in management of the operators workinghours. Specifically, when an operator starts work, the operator set hisown ID card on the IC card reader to be read. This information istransmitted to a facility of the hydraulic excavator owner, such as apersonnel department, together with engine start time and stop time ofthe daily report data. In the personnel department, the operatorsworking hours are managed based on the transmitted ID information andengine start time and stop time, and can also be used in calculatingwages. Alternatively, it is also possible to calculate the amount ofwork an operator has done, for example, how much land has beenexcavated, based on the daily report data.

[0125] It is also possible to replace a hydraulic excavator manager witha rental company.

[0126] When a failure handling method is transmitted to a service man, amachine number, current operating location, nature of a failure,handling method, and parts to be brought etc. for the hydraulicexcavator are grouped together and transmitted, but it is also possibleto search a route map from a point where a service man is to the currentoperating location of the hydraulic excavator at the service center andtransmit together with the route map.

[0127] It is possible to mount a navigation system in a serviceman'scar, and then at the service station search for an optimum route fromthe point where the service man is to the current operating location ofthe hydraulic excavator, and to provide route guidance on a monitor ofthe navigation system in accordance with the searched results. Routesearching can also be performed by the navigation system.

[0128] In the above description, alarm signals and failure signalsdetected by a sensor group 10 of a hydraulic excavator are transmittedto a service center, the nature of the failure is determined at theservice center, and a method of handling that failure is calculated.However, it is also possible to determine the nature of the failure inthe controller 20 of the hydraulic excavator based on alarm signals andfailure signals, to transmit a code representing the nature of thefailure, for example an abnormality flag or abnormality code, to theservice center, and to then obtain a handling method by searching adatabase at the service center using the abnormality flag or abnormalitycode.

[0129] In the above description, condition signals for the hydraulicexcavator are transmitted to the service station via a communicationssatellite CS and a base station BC, but it is also possible to transmitsignals from the communications satellite directly to the servicestation.

[0130] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 25, it is possible to connect ahydraulic excavator factory OW with a wireless base station BCA througha general public telephone network PC, and to connect the hydraulicexcavator factory OW to a plurality of service centers SF1-SFn through adedicated circuit (intranet). In this case, the base station BCA in FIG.25 is a base station of a contractor or company providing a satellitecommunication service using a satellite, for example. Accordingly, asshown in FIG. 26, a system that is the same as the system inside thewireless base station BC shown in FIG. 11 is provided in the hydraulicexcavator factory OW.

[0131] In FIG. 26, the factory OW comprises a modem 31A for receivingsignals transmitted from a communications satellite CS via the wirelessbase station BCA and a general public telephone network, a storagedevice 32A for storing signals received by the modem 31A, a modem 33Afor transmission of data to be transmitted to the service center througha dedicated line, and a controller 34A for controlling these variousdevices. The same processing as in FIG. 12 is then executed by thecontroller 34A. It is also possible to provide the function of thehydraulic excavator factory OW in a head office facility of a companymanufacturing the hydraulic excavator or in the above described rentalcompany.

[0132] Instead of using the satellite communication system, it is alsopossible to use a mobile communication system such as PHS telephone orcellular phone. FIG. 27 is a figure showing this aspect. The basestation BCB is a base station of a cellular phone carrier. A cellularphone (portable telephone) 100 is mounted in each hydraulic excavator.In this case, it is possible to specify the position of each hydraulicexcavator using positional information provided by a cellular phonesystem.

[0133] Description has been given with hydraulic excavators as anexample, but the present invention can also be widely applied to workingmachines including construction machines other than hydraulic excavatorsand other working vehicles.

[0134] In the embodiment described above, an example has been describedof a service center SF for recognizing which of work sites A, B and Ceach hydraulic excavator is actually operating at based-on currentposition information transmitted from each hydraulic excavator.

[0135] This positional information is calculated by the hydraulicexcavator receiving GPS signals using a GPS receiver 24. However, it isalso possible to put hydraulic excavators that have a certain distanceor positional relationship into a group, based on current locationinformation transmitted from each hydraulic excavator, without speciallyproviding the work sites A, B and C in advance.

[0136] For example, a hydraulic excavator is designated to be onevehicle, and a specified number of hydraulic excavators in order closestto that designated hydraulic excavator are put into a single group. Byrepeating this processing, a plurality of hydraulic excavators can allbe put into groups. Various methods of grouping can be considered, andit is possible to adopt all methods in the present invention. It ispossible to then create a very efficient field service schedule based onthese groupings. It is also possible to create an overall optimum fieldservice schedule based on current location information for individualhydraulic excavators without grouping.

[0137] With the embodiment described above, an example has beendescribed where a service man who will go and perform the field serviceacquires information related to a failure using a portable informationterminal 51. It is also possible to use a cellular phone instead of thisportable information terminal 51. In this case, the processor 43, forexample, transmits data so as to display a failure checklist etc. in adisplay portion of the cellular phone using a cellular phone system(mobile communication system) The failure checklist is for listing itemsthat are to be checked by the service man when a work machine develops afailure. The serviceman performs checks while confirming the checklistdisplayed on the cellular phone, and operates keys of the cellular phoneto perform input corresponding to the checklist. Conditions ofrespective parts, failure information and replacement part informationis also input. Input information is transmitted to the processor 43 viathe cellular phone system. The processor 43 receives informationtransmitted via the cellular phone system, and stores it in a storagedevice 42 and database 47 as information related to a failure. Theprocessor 43 receives information transmitted via the cellular phonesystem, and stores it in a storage device 42 and database 47 asinformation related to a failure. The processor 43 can be connected tothe cellular phone system in a configuration similar to that in FIG. 27mentioned before. If a cellular phone is used in this way, it ispossible to simply make high level failure information, which can not beobtained with a sensor, into a database with simple means.

[0138] The main advantages relating to the failure handling methodoutput system of the above described embodiment will be outlined in thefollowing. Since a method for handling failure exhibited by signalsrepresenting the condition of each part of a work machine, for example,is calculated and output, the nature of the failure and a handlingmethod can be precisely ascertained. As a result, when a service mangoes out to the site where the work machine is operating, it is possibleto take the necessary parts and materials, enabling efficient servicing.

1. A method for outputting failure handling method, comprising:detecting conditions of each part of a working machine; transmittingcondition signals representing the detected conditions; receiving thecondition signals; calculating a handling method for a failure showed bythe received condition signals; and transmitting a handling signalrepresenting the calculated handling method.
 2. A method for outputtingfailure handling method according to claim 1, wherein said handlingsignal is transmitted to any of the working machine, a service man and amanager of the working machine.
 3. A method for outputting failurehandling method according to claim 2, wherein said handling signal istransmitted together with information identifying the working machineand information indicating a nature of the failure.
 4. A method foroutputting failure handling method according to claim 2, wherein whensaid handling signal is transmitted to the service man, a currentlocation of the working machine is transmitted together.
 5. A failurehandling method output system comprising: a condition detector that isprovided in a working machine and detects conditions of each part of theworking machine; a working machine side transmitter that is provided inthe working machine and transmits condition signals representing theconditions detected by said condition detector; a working machinemonitoring side receiver that is provided in a working machinemonitoring facility and receives the condition signals transmitted fromsaid working machine side transmitter; a handling method calculatingdevice that is provided in the working machine monitoring facility andcalculates a handling method for a failure shown by the conditionsignals received by said working machine monitoring side receiver; aworking machine monitoring side transmitter that is provided in theworking machine monitoring facility and transmits a handling signalrepresenting the calculated handling method; and a working machine sidereceiver that is provided in the working machine and receives thetransmitted handling signal.
 6. A failure handling method output systemaccording to claim 5, further comprising a monitor that displays thehandling method based on the handling signal received by said workingmachine side receiver.
 7. A failure handling output system according toclaim 5, wherein said handling method calculating device calculates thehandling method by searching a database using the condition signalsreceived by said working machine monitoring side receiver.
 8. A failurehandling method output device comprising: a receiver that receivescondition signals representing conditions of each part of a workingmachine transmitted from the working machine; a handling methodcalculating device that calculates a handling method for a failure shownby the received condition signals; and a transmitter that transmits ahandling signal representing the calculated handling method.
 9. A methodfor outputting failure handling method, comprising: receiving conditionsignals representing conditions of each part of a working machinetransmitted from the working machine; calculating a handling method fora failure shown by the received condition signals; and transmitting ahandling signal representing the calculated handling method.
 10. Afailure handling method output device for receiving condition signalsrepresenting conditions of each part of a working machine transmittedfrom the working machine, calculating a handling method for a failureshown by the received condition signals, and transmitting a handlingsignal representing the calculated handling method.
 11. A method foroutputting failure handling method according to claim 1, whereintransmission and reception of the condition signals, and transmission ofthe handling signal, are carried out via a communications satellite. 12.A method for outputting failure handling method according to claim 1,wherein transmission and reception of the condition signals, andtransmission of the handling signal, are carried out via a mobilecommunications system.
 13. A method for outputting failure handlingmethod according to claim 9, wherein reception of the condition signalsand transmission of the handling signal are carried out via acommunications satellite.
 14. A method for outputting failure handlingmethod according to claim 9, wherein reception of the condition signalsand transmission of the handling signal are carried out via a mobilecommunications system.
 15. A failure information acquisition method,comprising: outputting information, relating to items to be checked whena failure occurs in a working machine, to a mobile communicationsterminal via a mobile communications system; receiving information,which has been input at the mobile communications terminal regarding theitems to be checked, via the mobile communications system; and storingthe received information in a storage device as failure information.